Three American service members are dead, casualties are climbing, and Democrats are openly warning that President Trump has lost control of an escalating conflict with Iran. The deaths, combined with a relentless cycle of military strikes, have triggered urgent calls for the administration to halt the war that was reignited last week when Trump abandoned a June memorandum of understanding with Tehran.
The Pentagon identified two soldiers killed Friday in a strike on Muwaffaq Salti air base in Jordan: First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. A third service member died Saturday in northern Iraq during what US Central Command described as a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance. The remains of a possible fourth casualty were discovered over the weekend in Jordan.
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy posted bluntly on social media that Trump had "frighteningly lost control of this war." He warned that "for those of us who pay attention to the hour-to-hour pace of the Iran War, things are getting very dark very quickly," citing rapidly escalating attacks and threats.
The death toll has mounted sharply since fighting resumed on February 28. At least 17 US service members have been killed so far, while more than 1,700 Iranian civilians are estimated dead. Casualty figures appear incomplete. The New York Times reported that Iranian forces carried out three undisclosed strikes against US military targets in Jordan last week before Friday's deadly attacks, and that the Pentagon also withheld information about "dozens" of casualties and damage from those earlier strikes.
Trump acknowledged the deaths in a brief phone conversation, calling them "a very sad thing" and saying the troops died "in service of our country." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a different message, writing that the sacrifices would only "stiffen our resolve." Even as the administration spoke, US forces were conducting a 10th consecutive wave of attacks on Iranian targets.
The response from Democrats has been forceful and coordinated. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the conflict "a disaster for the American people," saying troops had been "needlessly put into harm's way." Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen posted that "this senseless war should never have been started and it needs to end NOW." Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen called for a return to diplomacy, demanding the president "negotiate an end to this disastrous war."
Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate intelligence committee and a Virginia Democrat, disclosed that "hundreds of seriously wounded" US personnel were receiving care. He stated unequivocally that as a member of the Gang of Eight, he could confirm "there was no imminent threat from Iran" to justify starting the war of choice. California Representative Ted Lieu pushed Republicans to join Democrats in passing a War Powers Resolution immediately.
Both chambers of Congress have already passed war powers resolutions requiring Trump to seek congressional approval after 60 days of continuous hostilities. The White House has sidestepped the requirement by arguing that the 60-day clock stopped after a ceasefire in April, meaning the deadline has not yet been triggered.
Republicans have maintained public support despite polling showing the war is deeply unpopular. A Washington Post-Ipsos survey found approval for Trump's handling of the conflict at just 29 percent, even lower than the 33 percent backing his economic stewardship. Fuel prices have soared due to the conflict, further dampening public confidence.
New Mexico Republicans defended the president in a statement, accusing Democrats of exploiting the deaths for political gain and insisting Trump's actions "have made our country safer from a terrorist regime." Representative James Comer of Kentucky told Fox News that a military response was essential, saying "we have to respond, and we have to respond swiftly and with full force."
Iran has vowed retaliatory strikes against US Gulf allies, which it has labeled "collaborators" for providing logistical support for American strikes on Iranian territory. West Virginia Republican Riley Moore suggested the precision of attacks on the Jordanian base indicated Iran may be receiving targeting information from Russia or China, calling for closer coordination with Gulf Cooperation Council partners to prevent regional destabilization.
Author James Rodriguez: "Three dead troops and the party in power still throttling forward without congressional approval is exactly the kind of imperial presidency the War Powers Act was designed to prevent."
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